The Truth About Shang-Chi's Simu Liu
One of the latest heroes to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Shang-Chi. Portrayed by Simu Liu, Shang-Chi is a hero torn between two sides of his family: his father, who controls the legendary Ten Rings (both the mystical rings themselves and the militia that he named The Ten Rings), and his mother, who hails from the magical realm Ta Lo (via Screen Rant). "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" opened in theaters on September 3 and was the introduction of Liu to millions of people across the globe.
According to The Numbers, "Shang-Chi" earned over $75 million over its opening weekend, and it went on to outsell Marvel's prior film release, "Black Widow," in the global box office. While many people met Liu through this film (and his future in the MCU looks bright), "Shang-Chi" isn't Liu's debut on the small or silver screen.
Per his IMDb page, Liu recurred on the family sitcom "Kim's Convenience" from 2016-2021, and he's best known outside of Marvel for his role in 2017's "Taken" and his role as Paul Xie in "Blood and Water" from 2015-2016. Other past work from Liu includes "Fresh Off the Boat," "Star Wars: Visions," and "Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens," among other projects. He's slated to appear on "Celebrity Game Face," too.
Marvel has added at least $15 million to Simu Liu's net worth
The truth about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it's an excellent bouncing board for actors' careers. While they often hire well-known names, such as Angelina Jolie, who had a recent appearance in "Eternals," Marvel sometimes picks actors aren't as well known, but explode in popularity after appearing in one or more MCU projects. Such is the case for Simu Liu, who experienced his own humbling experience once old stock photos went viral online after people began recognizing him from as Shang-Chi (via Entertainment Weekly).
"I did ONE stock photo shoot [for] 100 bucks cash in 2014 ... and I have ended up on HUNDREDS of ads and storefronts and pamphlets and textbook covers," Liu explained in an Instagram Story at the time. "Moral of the story: Think twice before doing a stock photo shoot because they own the photos FOREVER."
Liu was raised in Ontario, Canada, and he worked as a stunt man before breaking out with his "Kim's Convenience" role (via CheatSheet). His net worth even increased $15 million since being cast as Shang-Chi, rising from $4 million to $19 million! He even recently bought a $5 million house in Hollywood Hills, per Dirt. This success is bound to grow even further as the now-in-demand star is working on two films: "Arthur the King" and the film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid's "One True Loves."